Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Firings, ousters, hot water, and the arrogance of the Chinese foreign minister

Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon media official, showed some mighty bad judgement.

2630677509_f90a6ab1e2_b
2630677509_f90a6ab1e2_b

Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon media official, showed some mighty bad judgement.

Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon media official, showed some mighty bad judgement.

Speaking of the media, when the Chinese foreign minister was asked about human rights during a press conference in Canada, he got all shirty: “Your question is full of prejudice against China and arrogance… This is totally unacceptable.” QED. (证毕)

In other Francophone affairs, the French military vaguely “suspended” five soldiers for failing to act to protect people in the Central African Republic they were supposed to protect.

Finally, the commander of Navy’s Undersea Warfare Center (Newport Division) was scuppered on the “loss of confidence” rap.

Question: Is there a pattern of commanders of front-line units (and attacks subs and such) getting command of rear units (Newport, or say Stuttgart) and then getting nailed for being mean, rough, and having a hostile environment? (And yes, the Navy is be congratulated for being far more transparent about such moves than is the Army, which hides behind privacy laws.)

Photo credit: Peretz Partensky/Flickr

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

More from Foreign Policy

An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.
An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.

A New Multilateralism

How the United States can rejuvenate the global institutions it created.

A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.

The Endless Frustration of Chinese Diplomacy

Beijing’s representatives are always scared they could be the next to vanish.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

The End of America’s Middle East

The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.